E3 2003: Virtua Fighter 4 Evo Hands-on

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We take the US version for a few rounds in the ring.

By Kaiser Hwang

Already released in arcades and in Japan on the PS2, Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution is essentially Virtua Fighter 4 with the addition of two new characters, Brad and Goh, and a few additional gameplay refinements/enhancements. SEGA officially announced that the game would heading to the US (yes!), and we got a chance to get some hands-on time with the game at SEGA's E3 booth.

Scheduled for a summer release, the American Virtua Fighter 4 Evo is almost identical to the Japanese version of the game. In fact, there are no noticeable changes to the game at all, but it's really hard to be sure since we obviously can't play through the single player modes, or play the game for a hefty amount of time. There are possibly some additional items and whatnot, but nothing has been announced.

The game, obviously, plays like Virtua Fighter 4. The gameplay is tight and responsive, and the number of moves in the game is often times intimidating. The last Virtua Fighter game played wonderfully with the PS2 controller, and nothing has changed. With only three buttons to really use, the four face buttons on the controller are more than enough, and the Dual Shock d-pad has always been great for fighters.

In terms of differences between VF 4 and VF 4 Evo, there are two new characters, Goh and Brad, that look strangely similar but feel distinctly different. Also, the AI is improved and there are tons of additional items to obtain in the Kumite mode. Additionally, the game looks substantially better than the original VF 4. Virtua Fighter 4 was a great-looking game, but it was plagued with aliasing issues. It seems that AM2 has learned a few new tricks on the PS2, as Virtua Fighter 4 Evo looks very clean and is almost completely free of aliasing.

Virtua Fighter 4 Evo is finally making its way stateside, and we couldn't be more thrilled. The two additional characters and numerous enhancements make this game noticeably better than the last, and we can't wait to get our grubby hands on the final US version. For more detailed information about the game, check out the rest our coverage here.